The Homer Carr Story ~ As shared by many others

(NOTE: The following article was written by Mr. Homer Carr, one of America's early and renowned Weimaraner breeders. He was the owner of the Von Gaiberg Kennels, registered, of Santa Monica, California.) It is verbatim with minor changes in spacing and punctuation. I tried to leave it exactly as given to me. When you read this, you may be startled by some of what Homer shares. We cannot undo history, or what breeders were doing in the past, but we can learn the history and a take a lesson from it. Of course, we here at OwyheeStar never destroy a puppy--our goal is to do all possible to give each pup raised a happy life.

​The warm slate-gray color, otherwise known as "blue," in the Weimaraner dog is the result of what the science of Genetics knows as a mutation. Available evidence appears to indicate that this same mutation has appeared at rare intervals during the entire history of the breed. So far as is known this blue mutation has occurred only twice in the last quarter of a century, both times in Europe.

In Austria, a single blue puppy appeared, in the 1940's in a litter of silver-gray parents owned by Robert Pattay, past resident of the Austrian Weimaraner Club. In Germany, a single blue puppy appeared in a litter of silver-gray puppies, whose parents were owned by Ludwig Gaul of Gaiberg, who is the progenitor of the blue Weimaraner of America.

During the second World War, Capt. Harry J.Holt was connected with the American Army's automobile tire re-building establishment in Germany.In the course of his duties, Capt. Holt, who was an experienced dog fancier, traveled extensively through all parts of occupied Germany. Mr. W. A. Olson of Minneapolis, Minnesota, an old time friend of Capt. Holt, requested the Capt. to be on the lookout for an outstanding Weimaraner and to purchase such a dog for him if he could find one. In the course of this search Capt. Holt visited many of Germany's most prominent Weimaraner breeders, But it was not until he saw Casar Von Gaiburg that he found a dog which he considered to be basically sound. Capt. Holt purchased Casar Von Gaiberg from his breeder Ludwig Gaul, and shipped him to Mr. Olson in Minneapolis, who still owns Casar. Casar Von Gaiberg was registered by the German Weimaraner club, and his official pedigree by the president of the German club.After Casar Von Gaiberg arrived in the United States, Mr. Olson entered the dog and showed him at American Kennel Club dog shows, until Casar had won ten points towards his bench show championship. When this requirement had been fulfilled and the AKC had checked and approved the dogs German pedigree, Casar Von Gaiberg was registered by the AKC under the number S-390759. When bred to AKC registered or approved bitches, Casar's progeny are eligible for AKC registeration as purebred Weimaraners.

Genetically the blue color in Weimaraner is dominant over the more common silver-gray color. The blue color is definitely not a recessive trait as stated in error in the present {1957} Weimaraner standard.The silver gray color is recessive to the blue. The blue color is not a "throw back," an unscientific term which is sometime applied to the re-appearance of a long-buried recessive trait.

The chances against the appearance of another blue mutation are almost astronomic, barring such a chance, it is genetically impossible for a blue Weimaraner to be produced from a breeding of two silver-gray dogs, regardless of the color of the parents or other ancestors of the dogs being bred. Barring a mutation, the only way a litter can be produced which has one or more blue puppies in it, is for one or both parents to be blue.

In the determined effort to smear the blue Weimaraner, which has been going on steadily since 1950, many deliberately false and malicious statements have been made, verbally and in print regarding Casar Von Gaiberg. Most of these statements either hint that his German registration and pedigree were falsified {a charge rejected by AKC} or that there was a prohibition against breeding endorsed upon Casar's official German pedigree, which was signed by the president of the German Weimaraner club. I have personally seen the original of the pedigree and have in my possesion a certified photostatic copy of it.

A certified translation of the endorsement on the pedigree reads as follows: "Used for breeding permissible only if the qualifications for first or second prize under the regulation of the organization for Jugendprufing (youth trial) are subsequently approved. Since Casar Von Gaiberg has a black nose, blackish tinge on his back, relatively proportionately short ears and his eye color is not pure amber, one should be careful concerning his decendants, and in doubtful cases, inform the office of the keeper of the stud book." The first sentence of the above endorsement appears on the official German pedigrees of many of the Weimaraners imported from Germany. I have a copy of CH. Burt v.d.Harrasburg's German pedigree and several others which bear the same first sentence endorsement. The provisitions of the endorsement are no more affective against Casar than against any other dogs, who, like Casar, were brought to America before they could be entered in the German Youth trials.

Casar, the progenitor of America's blue Weimaraners has been bred to a very substantial number of silver-gray bitches here in the US. Such breedings have produced litters in strict accordance with the Mendelian Law of Genetics for simple dominance and recessives-taken as a whole, the litters have averaged 50% grays and 50% blues.When a blue is bred to a silver-gray there is no mixing or blending of colors. The two colors are two distinct and separate entities or units, and they remain so. It is not like the mixing of cream in coffee, but rather like the mixing of 50 blue marbles and 50 gray marbles in a bucket. If you grab out enough handfuls you will have 50% blues and 50% grays, Just as you do if you breed blues to grays enough times to permit the law of averages to operate. These blue puppies will carry genetic factors for both the blue and gray colors and they are known as blue "dominants."

When the blue offspring, of one blue and gray parent, is bred to another blue offspring of one blue and one gray parent, the genetic expectation will before a litter of 25% grays and 75% blues. These grays will be pure grays; they will carry no blue factor and if bred to grays will never produce blue offspring in future generations. The 75% of the litter which are blue in color, genetically, are two different kinds of blue-pure blues and blue dominants.25% of the 75% will be pure blues; they will carry no gray factor and regardless whether they are bred to blues or grays they will produce litters having nothing but blue puppies in them. The remaining 50% are blue in color, they are blue dominants; they carry factors for both blues and grays and if bred to grays will produce litters of 50% pure grays and 50% blue dominants.

Every gray Weimaraner, regardless of whether his parents blue or gray, is a pure gray and carries no blue color factor. If he did carry a blue color factor, his color would be blue and not gray. However, there are, genetically, two kinds blues-pure blues and blue dominants; they can be identified or separated by letting them grow up and by breeding them to grays.

An unusually large number of the silver gray descendants of the blue dogs have won top honors of American bench show and field trial winners.

The blue descendants of Casar have also distinguished themselves for their excellent physical conformation and superb hunting ability. They have received less public acclaim then their silver-gray brothers, not only because of the vicious smear campaign conducted against them, but also because the present Weimaraner standard classifies the blue color as a fault.

To me the matter of the blue color is now one of little importance it is purely a matter of personal preference, one which, if desired, can be completely eliminated in one generation and still retain the other desirable traits of Casar and his ancestors. Personally, I do not care for the blue color. It is brilliantly beautiful in the puppy state but, the dog matures the early color becomes darker (as it does in the grays) and to me, less attractive. For this reason alone, in my own breeding, all blue puppies are now being destroyed.